How You Can Help Your Public Relations Provider Help You A successful public relations effort requires input and engagement from both the PR provider AND the client. Here are seven ways a client can help their public relations provider help them.
By Michelle Garrett Edited by Chelsea Brown
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I recently watched Jerry Maguire with my kids. They'd never seen it — and I hadn't watched it from beginning to end in ages.
When the film came out in 1996, a famous line was born. No, I'm not thinking of "Show me the money" — though that one is a fan favorite. It's the "Help me help you" line that's been on my mind.
Working with clients on public relations initiatives is often an isolating experience. The client hires you to make things happen. The expectations are high — but what is their role in creating success?
Related: How to Make PR Work For You
Clients need to stay engaged
Hiring a PR provider is simply the first step. Once that's done, clients sometimes seemingly disappear. Without a client that stays involved in the process, success may be more of a challenge to achieve. As I watched Jerry begging his client Rod to "help me help you," I'd never felt such a kinship.
You see, without a client's engagement, a PR consultant or agency is left to operate in a vacuum. Earlier in my career, I believed that most of the responsibility for success fell on my shoulders. I didn't view it as a joint effort. But public relations is absolutely a team sport.
So, how exactly can a client help their public relations provider help them? Here are seven ways they can do it:
1. Stay engaged and be responsive
Yes, you've hired a PR professional to help you — but that doesn't mean you can simply tune out. Instead, meet regularly to talk through what's coming up and what might make a newsworthy story or pitch.
If they share ideas to ponder, reply with your thoughts. If you see articles about your industry or competitors that may be helpful to your PR provider, share those. If they send you a question to answer or something to review, be sure to respond in a timely fashion with constructive feedback.
Also, discuss anything coming up that might prove problematic for your reputation. For example, if you know there could be a potential scandal or crisis brewing, share that. Don't hold back anything you think might be helpful. Ask your public relations consultant to sign an NDA if you're concerned about confidentiality.
2. Don't expect miracles to happen overnight
Yes, PR is powerful — but it's not magic. It takes time and patience. As you score wins, momentum can start to build. When working with a new provider, I'd allow at least three to six months to see results.
3. Treat media requests as the highest priority
When a reporter is interested in a story your public relations provider has pitched and they want to speak with you, make that a priority. Reporters are often on deadline, so you'll want to get back to them as quickly as possible when they have questions.
And if you've scheduled a meeting with a reporter, be sure to show up. Once you've burned a bridge with a journalist, they won't want to come back to you as a source. If you need to reschedule, do that — but no-shows don't build trust.
Related: 8 Ways to Prepare for Public Relations Success
4. Make sure your spokesperson understands how to speak to the media
Chances are you may have several spokespeople depending on the size of your company. Often, these spokespeople are executives.
I've worked with clients who seemed to assume that just because someone is an executive, they understand how to speak to a reporter. Unfortunately, this is not the case. And it's not their fault. They may not have been through media training.
Many PR consultants or agencies offer this service to clients, or you can even hire a professional that specializes in media training. If you don't have time for a full-blown media training session, ask your provider to coach you, or refer to these tips to help you prepare for an interview.
5. Keep an eye out for possible story ideas
Because you're inside the company and your PR provider is not, you are their eyes and ears when it comes to uncovering potential story ideas. The best clients know to share these with their public relations professional. They share any and all ideas so the PR person can consider which might make the best pitches to journalists.
Maybe there's an angle you don't see because you're too close to the story. Talking through a story idea might help bring to life compelling points you didn't realize were there.
6. Share your schedule
If you want to make a PR pro panic, there's no better way than heading out of town without letting them know. Nothing makes their blood pressure rise like it does when they get that auto-reply they weren't expecting.
Your public relations practitioner should ALWAYS know when you'll be out of town – and how to reach you in case there's an emergency. You truly never know what might happen, as the events of these past few years have underscored.
Chances are nothing urgent will arise, but why risk it?
7. Don't try to control the news
In the PR biz, we're often working proactively to secure earned media coverage for clients. This works best when clients understand that it is, in fact, EARNED media — not paid.
Earned media coverage isn't like an ad. You don't control what a news story says or when it appears, as you would with paid media (= advertising). So, no, clients won't be able to see the questions before the interview — and no, they won't have a chance to review the piece before it's published.
This isn't a fit for everyone, but it is a reality of earned media. If you want more control, perhaps paid media like advertising or sponsored posts would be a better path to pursue.
Related: PR 101: How to Talk to a PR Professional
Remember: Teamwork makes the dream work
Are you helping your public relations provider help you? How can you work with them as a team to accomplish your goals? The amount of success they can achieve on your behalf increases the more you engage and support them.
As Jerry Maguire says in that famous "Help me, help you " scene, "We want more from them — so let's give them more."
Give your PR provider more input, and you're likely to see better results.
